The Tree Octopus

This video provides a brief insight into the hazards of not being a critical internet user, and the importance of being discerning when searching for information on the internet.

Some elements that must always be considered when evaluating the reliability of a site include: who is the intended audience? Who owns/benefits from the information posted? Who are the interested parties? The .org and .edu tags do not necessarily guarantee a trustworthy site, these can be purchased and may not be reliable.

Teachers must have more support in new literacies, they need to develop their own skills in being critical internet users before they can effective educate their students. There also needs to be a way to assess students on their reading and writing on the internet. There also needs to be increased professional support for teachers in ICTs. In Finland, teachers have 5 paid weeks leave a year to learn about ICTs and the integration of them into the classroom.

In order for teachers to be effective and critical internet users they must spend more time using the technology.